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We all knew that Arsenal desperately needed new signings to strengthen all areas, and Arsene Wenger has duly obliged, pursuing Mesut Ozil, Emiliano Viviano and Demba Ba.

But though Wenger has been successful in his pursuit of the first two, the last part of that hasty trinity doesn’t appear to be on his way to the Emirates, with Chelsea finally calling a halt to the Gunners’ attempt to sign the Senegalese striker on loan.

The whole thing leaves the manager at something of a loss – with only Olivier Giroud available as an out-and-out first team frontman, the cupboard looks bare for Arsenal and in desperate need of restocking.

But who should they pursue? For my money, they could do a lot worse than long-term Newcastle target Bafetimbi Gomis.

According to France Football’s Matt Spiro, Wenger is a long-term admirer of the bullish Lyon striker, but has never quite turned his thoughts into actions.

Well, there’s no time like the present, and faced with a real striking shortage, the manager might be forced to play his hand and snap up the French international.

And why not? Gomis is clearly an excellent performer – though never prolific, he always fetches his side 10-20 goals a season so in terms of sheer end-product, he would certainly be a worthwhile investment.

Yet he brings so much more than that – often labelled the ‘mini Drogba,’ the 28-year-old takes after his illustrious namesake in physicality as well as playing style, battering down defences and playing in teammates to score.

Frankly, this is what Arsenal need right now – as Bill Shankly once said, a football team is like a piano – you need eight men to carry it, and three men to play the thing. What Arsenal have at the moment are far too many players, and not enough lifters.

With this in mind, what Gomis would represent is a plan B for Arsenal that Giroud simply doesn’t, and his presence in the line-up would mean that the Gunners would very rarely be physically cowed.

So really, Wenger should crack upon his much-vaunted checkbook and give Lyon a call. After all, it’s not as if he isn’t for sale – the main stumbling block Lyon have experienced during this saga is that no club has stumped up enough in wages to seriously turn his head.

If Ivan Gazidis is correct, this won’t be a problem for Arsenal. So really Arsene, what are you waiting for?

The post Arsenal Transfers: Could Lyon Striker Bafetimbi Gomis Be Late Option? appeared first on WhatCulture!.

Arsenal have missed out on Luiz Gustavo after Wolfsburg agreed a 17 million deal with Bayern Munich for the defensive midfielder, according to the Guardian.

Gunner’s manager Arsene Wenger said last weekend that he was interested in the Brazil international and has been looking for an able, defence-minded midfielder ever since last summer’s departure of Alexander Song to Barcelona.

Arsenal valued the 26-year-old at 14 million but appear to have been unwilling to budge on that figure, allowing Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg to usurp them for the player.

The German club have been long-term admirers of Gustavo.

And this latest set-back in the summer transfer market is one that only serves to pile the pressure on Wenger to make an eye-catching signing before the window closes on September 2.

The French boss tried to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender earlier this summer but had an 18.5 million inquiry rejected.

He was also interested in bringing in Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue, who is instead set to join North London rivals Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Wenger has also been foiled so far in his efforts to sign a new striker.

Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain was at one point poised for a move to Emirates Stadium but opted for Napoli.

And landing Liverpool forward Luis Suarez is also proving to be difficult, with the Gunner’s having had two bids for the Uruguayan rejected – including one bid of 1 over 40 million.

Arsenal’s chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, claimed at the start of the summer that funds would be available for Wenger to spend on new recruits ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.

But so far, France youth international striker Yaya Sanogo on a free transfer from Auxerre remains the only piece of business the London club have completed thus far.

The post Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Miss Out On Luiz Gustavo To Wolfsburg appeared first on WhatCulture!.

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Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has asked for permission to hold talks with Arsenal over a summer move to the Emirates, according to the BBC.

The unsettled Uruguayan believed the Gunner’s offer last night of 40,000,001 triggers the release clause inserted in his contract at Anfield, allowing him to speak to his suitors.

Liverpool however see things differently, and rejected Arsenal’s offer outright, though Suarez will inform manager Brendan Rodgers that he intends to speak with the Londoners.

The Reds have now turned down two bids from Arsenal, who made an opening offer of 30 million on July 8.

The Gunner’s resolve to sign Suarez comes as one-time target Gonzalo Higuain edges toward a move from Real Madrid to Napoli, and Arsene Wenger will now invest all his efforts in capturing the Liverpool marksman instead.

Real also retain an interest in Suarez, but have thus far stopped short of making an offer.

Following Arsenal’s most recent approach for the forward, Liverpool owner John Henry’s Twitter page read: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?”

It is unclear if the American was referring to the Gunner’s attempts to sign Suarez or their valuation of the player. Red’s manager Brendan Rodgers recently suggested he values Suarez closer to the 55 million mark.

Should Arsenal persist and have an improved offer for Suarez accepted, it would come close to trebling the club’s transfer record – the 15 million paid to Zenit Saint Petersburg for Andrey Arshavin in January 2009.

This month has seen unsettled Liverpool striker Luis Suarez subjected to two bids from Arsenal.

The first, which came on July 8, stood at 30 million and was swiftly rejected by the Merseyside club.

The second, which came in last night, saw the Gunners increase their bid by 10 million as they lodged a 40 million offer, which was also rejected.

However, today, the Uruguayan striker, who finished last season as the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League, told his club that he wants talks with Arsenal.

The Londoners are desperate to sign Suarez having missed out on Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain to Napoli, and manager Arsene Wenger is determined to bring in at least one “big name” this summer to appease long-suffering Gooners.

The French manager is likely to have to up his bidding somewhat however, as Rodgers values his prized asset at 55 million, claiming he’s worth just as much as Edinson Cavani.

In actuality, Suarez is in fact a liability.

Arsenal would be mad to part with that amount for a player who has more baggage than an airport conveyor belt, and here, we take a look at 5 Reasons Why Luis Suarez Is More Hassle Than He’s Worth.

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The post Arsenal Transfers: 5 Reasons Why Luis Suarez Is More Hassle Than He’s Worth appeared first on WhatCulture!.

Match Preview

Arsenal look as though they’re going to stay top of the tree in the run-up to Christmas, but face a busy winter schedule that will test those credentials, starting tonight against Hull.

The visitors come into this game off the back of a sensational 3-1 victory over Liverpool, and will be looking to claim another scalp at the Emirates.

Since promotion, Steve Bruce’s side have shown the pluck and steely determination needed to survive in this league – and they will need to show those qualities tonight if they are to take anything off Arsenal.

The Gunners too are in a good run of form, impressively beating Cardiff 3-0 at the weekend – no mean feat, that – just ask Manchester City and United, who both floundered in Wales.

Arsenal have won eight of the last nine matches against Hull in all competitions and I expect that streak to continue here – though Hull may not be tamed as easily as the Bluebirds were at the weekend.

Arsenal may be flying high at the top of the Premier League, but manager Arsene Wenger must be aware that his side are worryingly short of strikers.

The injury to Lukas Podolski, ruling him out until the New Year, has balanced the Gunner’s pursuit of success this season on a knife’s edge.

An injury to the in-form Olivier Giroud, for example, would leave Wenger with no choice but to start out of favour Nicklas Bendtner, or deploy Mesut Ozil in a false 9 position.

The club’s injury crisis means they are also without Theo Walcott and Yaya Sanogo, two men who could stand in for Giroud.

This lack of depth in striking options invariably means Wenger will have to return to the transfer market when it reopens in January.

Arsenal tried frantically to get a striker on deadline day, with a loan deal for Chelsea’s Demba Ba falling through with hours to go, but they will surely try again in the winter window for a new attacker.

Stan Kroenke and the board have confirmed that Wenger will have money to spend in January, if he needs it, and with this in mind, WhatCulture looks at five strikers Arsene Wenger may look to purchase in January.

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The post Arsenal Transfers: 5 Strikers Arsene Wenger Could Sign In January appeared first on WhatCulture!.

Though it’s all quiet on the transfer front for Chelsea in terms of incoming deals – despite whisperings of a late deal for Wayne Rooney coming on the back of Jose Mourinho’s claims that managers can lie to the media to hide their intentions – they are on the verge of sanctioning another outgoing deal.

With Victor Moses sent out on loan to Liverpool for the season, and a raft of attacking options supplemented by the signing of Willian, and Porto’s striker Christian Atsu, who will spend this season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, Demba Ba has been pushed down the pecking order after just a few months as a Chelsea player.

And his likely destination, according to two of the country’s biggest football journalists is Arsenal, who have so far stolen much of the final day focus with their big money move for Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid.

According to John Cross at the Mirror, Arsene Wenger is on the trail of the Senegalese striker, having missed out on him in January when he headed to Stamford Bridge, and he is now firmly back in the Frenchman’s sights:

Talksport’s Ian Abraham’s agrees with that intention, confirming that Arsenal are close to signing Ba from Chelsea, as he states that France Football have said the deal is almost done:

Should Chelsea be giving one of their chief rivals the opportunity to bolster their attack? If Mourinho is so keen on letting Demba Ba leave, he would surely be better off blocking a move to a direct rival and allowing Ba to move either to Roma, who have been linked with interest, or to Newcastle, who are perpetually linked with re-signing the striker they allowed to leave back in January.

The post Chelsea Transfer News: Arsenal Close To Signing Demba Ba appeared first on WhatCulture!.